[updated:LAST EDITED ON 21-Dec-02 AT 10:40 AM (EST)]I was looking at the Eastwood Company's "Rust Encapsulator" but wanted some opinions. I have read through some old posts on these types of products and find it hard to believe they work at all, but that's beside the point. I was wondering if anyone has used this particular product and if it can in fact be brushed on and left. Will this stuff actually change the rust into solid metal? My cab floor is starting to rust through and I don't have the means to have it done properly. All I am looking for is the best way to stop it from rusting further so I can throw down a new carpet and not worry about it. By the way, I started by using naval jelly (followed instructions) on the cab floor and after about 3 coats of it, letting sit and washing away, I started wirebrushing and found the rust kept going, but by then I was starting to see asphalt through the floor in spots and stopped. This is why I just want to "paint" on some of this stuff and let it go if possible.

"I'm a trifle deaf in this ear, speak a little louder next time." -***** Wonka

 

>I was looking at the Eastwood Company's "Rust Encapsulator"
>but wanted some opinions. I have read through some old
>posts on these types of products and find it hard to believe
>they work at all, but that's beside the point. I was
>wondering if anyone has used this particular product and if
>it can in fact be brushed on and left. Will this stuff
>actually change the rust into solid metal? My cab floor is
>starting to rust through and I don't have the means to have
>it done properly. All I am looking for is the best way to
>stop it from rusting further so I can throw down a new
>carpet and not worry about it. By the way, I started by
>using naval jelly (followed instructions) on the cab floor
>and after about 3 coats of it, letting sit and washing away,
>I started wirebrushing and found the rust kept going, but by
>then I was starting to see asphalt through the floor in
>spots and stopped. This is why I just want to "paint" on
>some of this stuff and let it go if possible.

I pretty much was in the same boat as you last year when I was removing the rust on the ongoing truck project.

My final solution was to use a hammer, anything trully rusty I hit with a hammer. If it fell off, I considered it to be bad, if it stayed, I consider it to be good enough to wirebrush. Then sealed off the region using blue silicon gel and wood and filled with electrolite and peformed electrolisis, followed up with heavy wire brushing. Atleast with electrolisis given enough time it's reasonably through. Alterntivly speaking, there is sandblasting.

I'm not an expert, but from what I understand, the only reliable means of *converting* rust is the use of phospheritic(sp) acid, there by converting the iron oxide, the cancer the does grow, into iron phosphate, a relativly inert substance. If the sheetmetal is rusted through, I don't believe there is much that any paint on solution can do, other then to trap the rust. Navel Jelly, while a good product [though personaly i've been going with metal ready at Lowes, about $6.00 a quart, and much higher concentration of acid], i'm unsure about it's penitration power. I have a couple of regions on my 1979 toyota where I wirebushed to a large extent, applied navel jelly on the rust pits, and still it rusted up again about 3 years later. I suspect that the pit rust was in reality all the way though the metal, and the naveljelly couldn't get in deep enough.

But as far as I know, there really is no means of of actually reclaiming iron oxide back into iron, it's just too dang happy being iron oxide. Iron phospate is pretty much the best you can hope for in my limited experence, but i'm unsure that you can convert something that is rusted though. Electrosis has the lowest mechanical work, the least metal loss, but takes the longest, free up the iron oxide and leave you with layers of black soot.

The prior owner, my father, decided to use one of those brush on solutions, not sure which one he actually used to be honest, for the truck bed. Needless to say, the section it was applied to totally denerated in about 5 years.

Atleast with wirebrushing your way though your floor pan, assuming you limit your wirebrushing to things that are *rust* which can easily been seen as navel jelly turns it black making it impossible to miss, you can be reasonably assured that the rust is gone, paint up, and make repairs. Personaly, I selected electrolisis first as it offered the lowest metal loss, then wirebrushed the hell out of my floor pans till the pits all were shiny.

 

So how do you do the electrolosis? I have never done any bodywork of any sort before buying this truck. Is this something I need secial equipment for?

"I'm a trifle deaf in this ear, speak a little louder next time." -***** Wonka

 

I have had pretty good luck with a couple of products that Home Depot sells. Oshpo (oxalic phosphate), that kills the rust and makes the paint stick better to the surface, and another called Extend, which is available in spray cans, and basically reacts with the rust to turn the surface into black primer. Both work pretty good.

 

OK, I spent about a half hour wandering through the local Lowes today and found nothing helpful. I live in Charlotte, NC (a fairly Yuppie town now) so should I just order the stuff from Eastwood or look elsewhere?

"I'm a trifle deaf in this ear, speak a little louder next time." -***** Wonka

 

Sorry, I'm tipsy, I meant to ask if there was a particular area in the home improvement stores to check, because I've been told to look in the cleaning isle and the best stuff I found there today was CLR.

"I'm a trifle deaf in this ear, speak a little louder next time." -***** Wonka